The Way it's Meant to Be
by Z.Kyouto
Summary: Haruhi wasn't sure of her feelings like Tamaki was, but he was unsure of how to reveal them to the one he loved most. It began with one rainy night, and blossomed into much more. Rated M for following chapters


**Hey guys! This is my first story in the OHSHC domain and on this site in general.**

**Let me know how I'm doing! Reviews = love.**

**As you know, I own nothing, much as I wish I did.**

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Haruhi Fujioka wasn't worried for mid term examinations, it was just that she always felt compelled to study when one came near.

On this particular Saturday evening, the receding light found her turning the lamp on in the kitchen, intently staring at a chapter of her History textbook. Her father, Ranka-san, was out for the night, working out of town at a bar that had requested his services. As Haruhi had learned over the years, she knew it was better not to ask any questions.

As she neared the end of her section, she glanced up at the clock. _Only half past seven,_ she thought. It felt to her as if she had been staring at maps and pictures for the past six hours. She decided to make some tea to help her concentrate, so she stood up from the table and went to find a kettle to boil water.

Haruhi glanced out the window on the way to the stove, noting that raindrops were hitting the ground softly a few stories below her apartment in the complex. She sighed, hoping a storm wasn't moving in. If that was the case, she wouldn't get much more studying done tonight.

The water finished boiling, and she chose her favorite flavor of green tea for this occasion. She inwardly smiled to herself, recalling the time she served this "commoner's tea" to her best friends, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. She could clearly recall Hikaru's reaction like it was yesterday; he nearly dropped the cup in disgust. Kaoru, on the other hand, was slightly more polite about it. He finished his cup, but the look on his face told Haruhi to never serve it again.

Haruhi shook the distracting thoughts out of her mind as she returned to her seat. The rain had become harder in the past few minutes, but Haruhi didn't really mind. She almost enjoyed the rainfall; it had a steady, rhythmic pulse that helped her focus.

_Hmm, I wonder what the others are up to_, she thought, coming to the end of yet another chapter. By "the others," she meant the other members of the Ouran High School Host Club. She had been forced to join the club after an unfortunate incident requiring an expensive vase, but now she was actually grateful for her mistake. Her debt had been paid off, but yet she remained with the ones she was surprisingly beginning to call family.

The rain was picking up in intensity, but Haruhi didn't seem to notice. _Kyouya is probably putting together the newest piece of merchandise,_ she mused. Astonishingly, he hadn't asked her for any kind of personal memorabilia in the past few weeks. Could it be that he was finally starting to respect her privacy? _Nah, I doubt it_, she laughed to herself. _Maybe I've finally faded as the new trend._ But that also was doubtful.

_Honey and Mori-senpai are most definitely out practicing today,_ Haruhi figured. _They were saying something about some other family challenging them… Who would have the nerve?_ she wondered. But she didn't think too much into their situation.

The last member of the Host Club, and the self-proclaimed "king," was the last one to cross Haruhi's mind. That was quite strange, considering he was the only thing other than examinations that had been on her mind lately.

It was only a few short months ago that Haruhi had literally driven a horse-drawn carriage to stop him from moving back to France and marrying a rich girl named Éclair. She wasn't quite sure why she had followed him that fateful night, but she definitely didn't regret doing it. She knew how much it meant to the others that Tamaki stay in Japan, but she also knew there was another internal reason fueling her.

Could it be that she was falling for the one who had been chasing her all along?

Haruhi barely gave it a second thought. _Why would I even want him anyway? He's such a stuck-up flirt…_ Her mind dropped off there. She couldn't help but think that she was lying to herself, just to make life a little easier.

She shook her head and took another sip of tea. Glancing out the window at the escalating rainfall, she turned the page and began another chapter of History.

Tamaki Suou was bored stiff. All his friends were out for the night, mostly on family business. Kyouya was the only exception, but when Tamaki attempted to call his best friend, he was greeted with a firm "No" before he could even greet the other boy.

It was clear that Kyouya Ootori had other plans for the night.

Tamaki knew there were examinations coming soon, but he really didn't feel inclined to study for them. He was one of the brightest students in his class, and he knew that for a fact. Besides, in Tamaki's mind, reading textbooks was more mind-numbing than sitting in his room, staring at the empty walls.

Standing up from the couch in his room, Tamaki crossed to the window next to his bed. He sat on the edge of his crisp sheets and stared out the window at nothing in particular.

With a slight gasp of surprise, Tamaki noticed it was raining quite hard. Looking toward the sky, he saw a line of thick, black clouds that were seemingly stalking his residence. They moved with increasing speed, and he could tell it was going to storm violently soon.

Suddenly, Tamaki had a striking thought. He envisioned Haruhi sitting at home alone, huddled under her table, wrapped in blankets. The house was pitch black due to a power outage, and the lightning cracked in the background. Haruhi was crying, shaking every time more thunder sounded.

Tamaki shook the image from his head. His face held a look of concern for his friend, and he knew he had to go to her to prevent his vision from coming true. He knew Haruhi was too self-reliant and stubborn to call for anyone's help, much less his, so he felt compelled to fix the situation himself without being asked.

_So what if she resists me?_ he thought as he walked quickly out of his room. _I'm going to go to her, whether she likes it or not._ With that, he called a car and was gone without a second thought.

Haruhi yawned and looked at the clock again, for what seemed like the fiftieth time. Only thirty minutes had passed since her last glance, and it was now nine o'clock. The darkness had crept in, and the light from the lamp seemed to shroud Haruhi like a shield.

She could hear the rain pounding on the window panes, falling nearly sideways due to the apparent heavy wind gusts. There was a low rumble in the distance, but Haruhi had moved on to her Japanese book and was paying little mind to much else.

The rumble came again, this time louder. Then it became almost constant. Haruhi jumped at the sound, finally torn away from her current paragraph. She then realized it wasn't thunder after all; it was someone knocking at the door.

Haruhi stared at the entryway, wondering who had bothered to visit at this hour, and in the current weather, no less. _Oh no… _she thought. With a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, she stood up and crossed to the door, expecting to see the boy from her dreams standing before her.

She turned the handle slowly, almost as if she was hoping he'd be gone before she had to see his face. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Tamaki stood in the doorway, drenched due to his refusal to take an umbrella from the car. Droplets of water fell from his golden blond hair, which was currently plastered to his face in a way that Haruhi found sort-of cute. His white jacket was dripping as well, and as he removed his shoes, he seemed relieved to discover that his socks weren't drenched.

Haruhi almost laughed at the sight before her, but she couldn't bring herself to think with such happy emotion with Tamaki in her house, totally unannounced and frankly, totally unwanted. She stood there with a stern look on her face, waiting for an explanation.

Tamaki smiled. "Hello, Haruhi," he greeted cheerfully. "I didn't have much to do tonight, and I noticed there was a storm approaching."

Haruhi saw where this was going. She had made the mistake of exposing her fear of thunderstorms to him during a school vacation. She relished in his embrace that night, but she swore to herself never to let it happen again.

"I'm aware, Tamaki-senpai. But what does that have to do with me?" Haruhi tried to play dumb, no doubt failing to Tamaki's overly prying senses.

"Oh Haruhi, you know as well as I that you're terrified of storms. I know Ranka-san is out almost every weekend, so I didn't want you to have to go through it alone." He was sincere, attempting to show his crush just how much he cared.

Haruhi still hadn't motioned for him to enter. "Thanks, but I don't think I'll need your help tonight. I've got a lot of studying to do, and-"

She shrieked as the first violent crack of lightning echoed in the air, catching the pair off guard. Tamaki instinctively stepped towards Haruhi, but she blushed crimson and stepped back. She hated being caught in such vulnerable moments with the older boy.

As the color faded from her face, Haruhi sighed. "Okay, Senpai. I guess you win; you can stay for awhile." She stepped away from the door, a sign that Tamaki could enter. "Would you like a towel?"

Tamaki half-smirked, knowing this battle was his. "That would be wonderful, Haruhi. Thank you." He followed her to a small closet near the bedrooms and helped her pull a towel down off the top shelf. As they were about to close the door, another bolt of lightning struck, shaking the ground on apparent impact.

All at once, the lights powered off and Haruhi screamed. She fell backwards from the tremor, knocking Tamaki to the ground and landing on top of him.

Tamaki wrapped his arms around her and held tight as the thunder shook the windows. Haruhi flipped over and attached herself to his neck, too shocked to resist his comforting arms.

He moved one hand up to stroke her hair, and, on impulse, kissed her gently on the forehead. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was formed in a tight line, trying to will the fear away. Even so, Tamaki thought she looked like an angel.

Haruhi buried herself deeper into his embrace. "T-Tamaki?" she whispered.

"Yes, my darling?" His warm breath tickled her ear, and she quivered from the feeling. Another crack of lightning, and Haruhi nearly fell off Tamaki's chest.

She settled herself once again, and looked at her savior's face in the stormy glow. She had never realized just how gorgeous he truly looked when she could see him like a human, not as a king. She awoke from her reverie to another feather-soft whisper.

"Haruhi, did you have something to say?" Tamaki questioned tenderly, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Yes… I'm gla- ah!" More lightning lead to another squeal. She regained composure quickly this time, intent on expressing herself.

"I'm glad that you're here, Tamaki." She smiled and rolled on to her side, though not at all intending on breaking Tamaki's embrace.

He shifted to hold her closer, kissing her forehead for the second time. Her eyes closed and her lips parted slightly at the foreign contact. He chuckled.

"I'm so glad I could be here for you."

Haruhi's eyes opened, and she glanced up at Tamaki, his features illuminated by the newest bolt from outside. She barely jumped this time, and instead, she inched closer to his face, totally unprepared for what her body was about to make her do.

Tamaki was surprised when he saw her intents, and he almost backed up. But he knew if she truly wanted it, than that was how it was supposed to begin.

Their lips met gently, almost apprehensively, and they lingered as the unrelenting rain fell around them.


End file.
